Foster dog sick - Armchair ( or real) vets? Mega-esophagus or something else?

[Houndhill]

[QUOTE=animaldoc;7185125]
Might be worth sending out a serum antibody titer for acetylchloline receptors to test for MG. The University of California, San Diego is the only lab currently doing the test - information on how to submit samples is on their website.
http://vetneuromuscular.ucsd.edu/Services.html[/QUOTE]

This dog was euthanized September 20. I had posted afterwards because I thought it might help someone in the future to realize that signs of aspiration pneumonia can sometimes not show up on lung X-rays, especially early on, as the OP wondered whether she could indeed have had AP.

Yes, the MG test at UC is good for folks to know about. Bear in mind it can take 5-7 days to get back, and can cost $300 or so. But it can be useful for a dog with Megaesophagus, as MG can often be treated and sometimes the ME improves or resolves.

OP, sorry for your loss!

[CVPeg]

This is valuable information to know, Houndhill. Had never heard of any of these issues. Good to be on the watch for in the future.

So sorry about Mandy, OP. She was lucky to have you at the end. :sadsmile:

[chism]

[QUOTE=Houndhill;7184501]
Yes, I agree. On the yahoo mega list, and from lots of experiences with wolfhounds with aspiration pneunomia, it is not always apparent on the lung X-rays. With the fever and other signs, I would suspect she might have indeed had aspiration pneumonia.

The only reason I’m posting this, is if anyone else ever has a dog they suspect might have pneumonia, it is not always apparent with the X-rays, so if clinical signs suggest it, it might be advisable to institute immediate antibiotic therapy. I know of many IWs who were lost because of this.

OP, mucosy liquid does go along with Megaesophagus, they make a great deal of it, so I am not sure it definitively tells you much.

But certainly it sounds as if euthanasia was the best choice for Miss Mandy, I just mentioned this to possibly help others in the same boat.

I hope you have had some small comfort, know it is a hard thing always.[/QUOTE]
Thank you very much Houndhill. I do appreciate what you and others have offered to this thread. I’ve been feeling unsettled about the whole thing, which isn’t really like me. I’m not one to fret over what can’t be helped. . I’ve had multiple dogs and cats in my life who’ve been PTS either due to illness or old age, and this one is bothering me more. Not in the sense that I’m gutted over it…she was a lovely dog, and I enjoyed having her, but she was never “ours” in the way the others were. It’s mostly regarding the doubts I have that what was really going on with her was missed. She was a train wreck for sure in many ways, but her issues were being managed and she had a wonderful disposition and an enthusiastically exuberant personality. My husband and I joked that we were lucky that she came with the mobility issues, or she’d be hell on wheels. If you could see the way she eyed my chickens…it’s very lucky for them they could move faster than she could. I’m just wondering if she could have been saved…and as I said before, if nothing else… I’m usually secure in the knowledge that I did what I could in a crappy situation. I’m not feeling it with this one.

[Houndhill]

It is always a hard thing, but please take what small comfort you can in knowing her condition was only going to get worse. If she did indeed have aspiration pneumonia, which is not unlikely, that can be very difficult to overcome, and worse, would likely happen again. This poor dog’s future would have been very bleak, it seems to me, from what you have described. It did not sound like she had a good quality of life, nor prospects for one.

I think you did her a great kindness. Remember, they are always in the moment. If I were in her shoes, I would have wanted the gentle release that you so bravely gave her.

I hope you can cherish the memories she gave you, and know you did the absolute best you could for her. I hope you can come to peace with all that.

[littlebaypony]

Thank you to both Chism and Houndhill for the information you have put forth through this thread. My sister has a Boston terrier with ME; he’s had it most of his life and he’s only 1.5 years old. We are doing a booth at the local Dog Fair tomorrow informing people about ME, it’s diagnosis and management. It’s heartbreaking to see my sister’s happy, energetic little dog and know how limited his life is. He has to be fed 6 times a day, eat and sit in his Bailey chair for 20 minutes each feeding. He cannot drink water from a bowl so he gets all his fluids from his smoothies/food and chicken broth flavored gelatin.
OP you did right by your foster dog. You offered her the very best care available to her and you saw to it that she was not made to suffer unnecessarily. That all our animals ask of us, kind, loving care and freedom from pain and disease. You can be proud that you were there for a special dog at a time when she needed you most.
Thank you again for sharing your experience with ME.